Bounded By Betrayal

Chapter 3: It Hurts

Reaching out to the empty spot where Akira had been, Kaito extended. When his eyes opened, he saw only wrinkled blankets.

He sat up fast and looked around the room. "Akira?"

His voice rang out, but there was no response.

His chest began to feel uneasy as his heart began to race.

He quickly pulled on his shirt and boots after getting out of bed and went outside the tent.

With the early morning mist still lingering in the air, the camp was still. His brow furrowed as he peered around. "Akira!"

With increased volume, he yelled once more.

Taro, one of his packmates, passed by and gave them a questioning glance. "What's going on?"

Kaito ignored him, focusing on the woods ahead. There was no sign of her. No note. No trace. She was just… gone.

“She didn’t tell me she was leaving,” Kaito muttered, more to himself than Taro.

“She?” Taro raised an eyebrow. “You mean Akira? She took off already?”

Kaito didn’t respond. He pushed past, heading toward the edge of the camp. His mind raced as he replayed the night before—the closeness, the kiss, the connection they had shared. Why would she leave without a word?

Akira kept her pace steady, her breathing even as she moved further away from the camp. She wasn’t running—she was just... leaving. It wasn’t like she didn’t care about Kaito. She did, more than she wanted to admit.

Ignoring him, Kaito concentrated on the trees ahead. She was nowhere to be found. Nothing to remark. Nothing to find. Kaito was shocked by Akira's abrupt absence. More to himself than to Taro, he mumbled, "She didn't even tell me she was leaving."

Why would she disappear without saying anything?

Akira, meanwhile, left the camp with deliberate gaits and calm breaths. She was looking for a place to clear her head, not to run away.

Within her, her wolf surged restlessly. Akira corrected herself, saying, 'You're making this more complicated than it needs to be.

As he followed her scent into the trees and heard her footsteps reverberate across the woodland, Kaito's rage increased.

His head was full of enquiries. Why was she going out this way? What had gone wrong for him?

Neither the camp nor his responsibilities for the day concerned him. He was searching for her, trying to figure out why, in light of everything that had transpired between them, she felt the need to vanish.

He tracked her for over an hour before spotting her in the distance. She moved quickly and decisively, her figure slicing between the woods.

"Akira!" he said, his tone acerbic.

Her shoulders stiffened as she hesitated. She didn't, however, look back.

"Stop, Akira!" Now, Kaito's voice was more in tune.

With a sigh, Akira closed her eyes for a while before turning around to look at him. "Kaito, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here again?" he asked, his tone doubtful. "Why are you ?" You just walked away! Nothing to say, nothing to explain. Following last night—"

"I had to take a break and reflect," she said.

"Consider" Anger surged in Kaito's eyes. "You believe you can simply walk away like that?

"I had to take a break and reflect," she said.

Anger surged in Kaito's eyes. "You believe you can simply walk away like that? without providing me with any information?

Folding her arms defensively, she fired out, "I dont owe you an explanation."

"Not even in light of our previous exchanges?" His rage gave way to hurt as his voice grew softer.

Before turning away, Akira's expression wavered for a brief instant. "That was a complicated situation."

With a hushed voice, Kaito moved closer. "Complex? What we discussed, Akira, wasn't merely—

She held up a hand, warning, "Don't." "Don't try to make this into something it's not."

Kaito's jaw tensed as he fixed his gaze on her. That's it then? Are you simply going to act as though nothing occurred?

"I'm not acting," she stated in a firm tone.

Akira held her answer for a moment, her throat constricted. With her back to him, she fixed her gaze on the forest. "It is irrelevant. Kaito, I'm heading out.

He moved closer and murmured softly, "Don't do this." "We are able to resolve this."

With a voice full of emotion, she added, "There's nothing to figure out." "I don't stick around. I'm different from you.

Kaito extended his arm and took hers tenderly. "Please, Akira.

She withdrew, shaking her head. "I wish not to cause you harm.

"Now you're hurting me," Kaito said.

Akira felt a wave of remorse as her chest constricted. "I apologise."

"That is insufficient," Kaito said. "You have no right to determine my feelings."

Akira looked back at him, her gaze seeking his, and her breath caught. And if I make a mistake with this? Imagine if I wreck everything.

With a step closer, Kaito reached out to grasp her hand. "Then we both ruin it." His tone was stern but gentle. But Akira, you have to let me in.

Her heart pounded, her defences collapsing before his relentlessness. She desired to accept him as true; she wanted to have faith that this would be something worthwhile to pursue. Still, terror bit her, dragging her down.

She uttered in a barely discernible murmur, "I don't know if I can."

Kaito gave her a gentle squeeze. "You don't need to work by yourself."

Akira gazed up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Kaito."

With a gentle voice, his thumb lightly touched her knuckles. "Akira, stay with me. Simply stay still.

I don't want to hurt you, but I would come see you later in the evening. Akira said, "I just want to be left alone for now," before transforming into her wolf and rushing away.

Standing near the camp's boundary, Kaito cast a sidelong glance in the direction of the trail where Akira had vanished the day before. Their talk had left him feeling heartbroken. He had been thinking about her remarks nonstop and hadn't slept.

However, she did not appear.

In the hope of running into her, he found himself heading towards the training fields around midday. Still, nothing. Though he made a subtle effort to enquire, he consistently received the same response: "Haven't seen her."

She was hunched over, cleaning her hands, when Kaito happened to see her next to the river. He felt relief sweep over him as he got closer.

"Akira!" He yelled as he accelerated his pace.

She tensed up but did not look away.

"Akira, we should talk."

"I'm busy," she stated coldly, lacking any emotion in her voice.

Kaito halted a little distance away, his irritation rising. You have been eschewing me. You have, I'm sure of it.

Akira continued to look away and added, "I'm not avoiding you." "I've been... preoccupied,"

Kaito snorted. "Worked? You didn't say anything to me last day. Akira, you never even returned to camp," Kaito stated in a resentful tone.

"That was intentional," she retorted quietly.

Kaito's gaze grew strained. "What do you mean?"

With a cautious expression, Akira rose up and wiped her hands on her trousers. Kaito, I needed some room. It was obvious that you would not give it to me.

Kaito spoke haltingly. "Space? You vanish silently, and now you claim you require space?"

Akira crossed her arms over her chest and her eyes became cold.

Indeed. That seemed obvious to me.

"Not really," Kaito retorted sharply. particularly in light of what transpired between us. You can't simply pretend that nothing happened.

"Nothing changed," Akira became irritated. "We shared a kiss. That concludes it.

"You know that that's not it."

Akira gritted her jaw and turned aside. "I made a mistake,"

At her words, Kaito's heart fell. "A slip-up?"

"Yes," she firmly said. "I shouldn't have allowed it to occur."

"That's not what you mean," Kaito remarked as he inched forward. "That isn't what you mean."

Akira maintained her distance even if something flashed in her eyes, either rage or annoyance. "Kaito, you don't get to decide what I mean."

Taking a deep breath, Kaito tried to maintain his composure. "So what happens next? Are you simply going to act as though nothing occurred?

"I don't need to act pretend,” Akira remarked icily. "I'm letting go. You ought to as well.

"Go on?" With a look of bewilderment on his face, Kaito gazed at her. Do you really believe I can go on? following everything?

"Yes," she answered frank. "I think exactly the same thing."

Kaito's annoyance was evident as he balled his fists at his sides. "Akira, why are you doing this? How come you're shoving me away?

"Because this approach works better," Akira remarked in a tight voice. "For the two of us."

"Better?" Kaito's tone wavered. "How is this better?"

Her eyes were fixed on the ground, and she did not respond.

With a gentler voice, Kaito took a step forward. "You don't have my trust. You don't really think this is better, in my opinion.

With a stern tone, Akira interrupted, "I don't owe you anything." "And I want to stop talking about it now."

With a tight chest, Kaito stood there in shock. "Are you simply going to leave?"

"Yes," she said, her eyes meeting his with a coldness he had never seen. "I am."

Kaito watched Akira vanish into the trees while he stood there by himself, heart pounding. Without saying anything else, Akira turned around and left.

Kaito made multiple attempts to get close to Akira, but she always managed to elude him. It was obvious she wasn't interested in talking, whether it was because she would disappear before he could approach or because their exchanges would end in agony.

"Akira, wait!" said Kaito as he saw her by the food tent. With a stern voice, she declined him quickly and said, "Not now, Kaito." Kaito became irate as she turned and departed.